Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan found himself at the centre of discussion on Wednesday after an old interview resurfaced online, where he was seen making remarks perceived as a subtle dig at former captain MS Dhoni regarding the premature end of his international career.
Responding to the social media buzz, Pathan took to X (formerly Twitter) to issue a clarification. He wrote:
“Half-decade-old video surfacing NOW with a twisted context to the Statement. Fan war? PR lobby?”
Half decade old video surfacing NOW with a twisted context to the Statement. Fan war? PR lobby?
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) September 3, 2025
The 2008 Australia Tour Episode
In the interview, now viral, Pathan recalled the 2008 Australia tour when Dhoni reportedly told the media that the left-arm pacer was not bowling well. Pathan, however, had decent returns in that series, claiming eight wickets in the Tests at an average of 28.62 and later picking up 11 wickets in the Commonwealth Bank tri-series, where he was the fifth-highest wicket-taker.
“I went to Mahi bhai and asked him directly about that statement because I felt I had bowled well. He told me there was nothing like that, everything was going according to plan. When you get a reply like this, you just accept it. Asking again and again affects your self-respect, and for Pathans, self-respect matters the most,” Pathan said during the old chat.
A Career That Ended Too Soon
Pathan also mentioned that he never indulged in gossip or controversies, adding: “A cricketer’s job is to perform on the field, and that’s what I always tried to focus on.” His performances during that phase highlighted his value to the team. In the 2008 tri-series in Australia, he bagged 11 wickets in 10 games, with best figures of 4/41. In the Test series before that, despite missing the first two matches, he took eight wickets in two games, including 3/54. Pathan’s international career ended in 2012, with his last appearances coming in limited-overs cricket. He picked up a five-wicket haul in his final ODI in August 2012 and played his last T20I in October that year.
Across formats, Pathan represented India in 173 matches between 2003 and 2012, scoring 2,821 runs with one century and 11 fifties, while also taking 301 wickets at an average of 29.85. His bowling exploits included nine five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket match hauls, underlining his reputation as one of India’s finest seam-bowling all-rounders.